This news item expired on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
Amparo Acosta, an active and well-respected nurse, has stepped into the role of Director of Nursing and Clinical Services Coordinator for Buncombe County Health and Human Services. In this position, she will manage all BCHHS Public Health Nurses across Communicable Disease, Clinic, Nurse Family Partnership, Care Coordination, and the Public Health Mobile Team.
Amparo has worked with the County for 21 years, beginning as a Public Health Nurse I in primary care. She worked in all BCHHS clinics and eventually moved into a Public Health Nurse II Supervisor role.
“Amparo is compassionate, innovative, and deeply committed to equity. During the pandemic, in addition to overseeing contact tracing and case investigation, she worked with media outlets to ensure that Spanish-speaking people had the information to keep themselves and their families safe,” Public Health Director Dr. Ellis Matheson says.
Amparo says the wanted to take on this new role because she is a leader who wants to make a difference in the community.
“I strive to develop and support a culture of health. I work to uphold a work environment that supports everyone’s professional growth, healthy choices, equity, inclusion, and opportunities to learn,” Amparo says. “I strive for this excellence with compassion and understanding of ourselves, colleagues, organizations, communities, and the world around us.”
Her goals in her new role include continuing to support a culture of health and the prevention of diseases; supporting professional growth, equity, inclusion, diversity, and opportunities to learn; and continuing to support Public Health Registered Nurses.
Notable career experience includes her work leading the Communicable Disease and Tuberculosis Control program during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, Amparo was awarded the Public Health Nurse Superhero Award by the North Carolina Association of Public Health Nurse Administrators.
Amparo began her role as Director of Nursing and Clinical Services Coordinator on May 1.